Emergency workers were called to Hi-Tex Inc. at 513 Crypton Drive off N.C. 161 at 2:02 a.m. Tuesday.

The man was dead when emergency workers arrived. Preliminary reports say the man died at the plant when his skull was crushed, said Dolores Quesenberry, spokeswoman with the N.C. Department of Labor.

Hi-Tex has called in the state Occupational Health and Safety division to help investigate the workplace fatality, said Chip King, the company's vice president. That investigation is ongoing.

According to Quesenberry, investigations by the state division are standard in workplace fatalities. The agency will send investigators to Kings Mountain to determine whether workplace safety violations contributed to the manís death.

Investigators will interview witnesses, take photos and review the general safety at the plant, she said.

The entire investigation will take three to four months. If a violation is discovered to have contributed to the death, the company will be fined.

King said condolences have been passed along to the family, and the company was also assembling a team to investigate the incident.

Hi-Tex Inc., located in Kings Mountain, does printing and embossing on plastics and fabrics.